Cherokee Nation Expels Slave Descendants

Members of the Cherokee Nation voted Saturday to revoke tribal citizenship of around 2,800 descendants of Cherokee slaves.

Opponents to the vote believe that the removal of freedmen from the tribe was motivated by racism, the Seattle Times said.

Advocates argue that the decision was based on the protection of tribal resources that come from a federal budget as well as the Cherokee Nation's share in the gambling industry, the Seattle Times said.